better outdoor living at home spring


Entry Walk Project – Phase 1: Removing the Old Walk

When beginning a new home improvement project, it can be both exciting and intimidating all at the same time. A homeowner can joyfully anticipate what will be a beautiful addition or renovation to the outdoors of their home. Over the next weeks we’ll spotlight the various phases of this outdoor home improvement project.

The project was a new brick paver entry walk. But before the actual installation of the new walk began, the old existing concrete walk had to be removed. The existing walk was very narrow, about wide enough for one person to use at a time. It was also located in a less than optimal location, which was right next to the large living room window leaving that room without much privacy. It gave the area a very cramped feel.

Old concrete walk (lower section of photo) was not very inviting and too close to the house

 

Moving the new walk away from the house and more into the yard will create a layout that will function better, add a nice open feeling to the space, and give the house a true entryway on a larger scale, which we’ll see in a later phase.

 

The Demolition

 A contractor was hired to remove the existing walk (4” thickness) and its base aggregate. You can see in the photos that they used a backhoe to break up the old concrete and to load it into the truck. After that, the contractor did the excavation for the new walk, in its new location.

 

 

What Happens to All That Excavated Soil?

Soil that is excavated can be hauled away by the contractor, typically for a fee. Homeowners may wish to keep the soil, or at least some of it, to use in their yard for various other projects, like grading around their foundation, filling in low spots, or creating earth mounds for landscape beds. Being able to find a use for the excavated soil can save a homeowner the cost of having it hauled away. Here, the excavated soil was use to fill in the area where the old walk was removed, and the rest was used for other yard needs.

Some of the excavated soil was used to fill in the void left by the removal of the old walk. This photo was taken a bit after the old walk was removed and while a new porch roof was built. Things were still looking a bit rough at this point.

 

If your contractor will need to use heavy equipment during the construction of your project, work out the logistics with him/her beforehand in an attempt to minimize damage to your lawn and plant beds.

Check out Phase 2 and the final Phase 3.

 

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